Our Final Verdict
We give the iCalmPet Ruff N’ Ready Speaker a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.
Quality: 4.9/5
Variety: 4.8/5
Value: 4.8/5
I can’t say I ever thought I would be using a speaker specifically for my dog, but here we are! After ordering the Ruff N’ Ready Speaker from iCalmPet, I’ve definitely become more interested in how much sounds and music can help my little canine relax. This type of product might seem a bit extra to some people, but as the owner of a very nervous rescue, I saw real potential for this helping to calm my pup down a bit.
The company, iCalmPet, specializes in pet speakers, selling different packages for both dogs, cats, and some for humans too! While I hadn’t heard of iCalmPet before, I am always interested in seeing brands that are focused on specific areas and products. It feels like they are pouring more effort and quality into their product, as opposed to a company that makes every product under the sun.
The company is definitely focused on creating calming sounds for pets, as well as tracks, to help desensitize pets to different and concerning noises, such as fireworks and city sounds. The relaxing tracks can be paired with car rides, construction noise outside, or just daily life. iCalmPet’s whole goal is to help create more peace for both pets and their people!
About iCalmPet
Who Makes The Ruff N’ Ready Speaker?
The man behind iCalmPet is Joshua Leeds, who is a sound researcher, and music producer. iCalmPet uses psychoacoustic theory to inform their music which can be summed up by the words “simple sound”. This means that their music is “intentionally selected, arranged, and recorded to provide easeful auditory assimilation”. The brand takes into account the fact that our pups prefer passive hearing and are often overstimulated. The Ruff N’ Ready Calm Your Canine soundtrack uses classical solo piano arrangements to create the strongest relaxation. The Ruff N’ Ready Speaker can be purchased on its own, or with accompanying micro SD cards with relaxing dog music.
Which kind of pet is The Ruff N’ Ready Speaker Best Suited For?
The Ruff N’ Ready Speaker is best suited for dogs with existing stress, aggression, and separation anxiety. The iCalmPet Music Library has options to purchase micro SD cards with music targeting those specific issues, as well as options that help desensitize them to sounds such as thunder, fireworks, and city sounds. While the Ruff N’ Ready Speaker is definitely looking to help relax and calm more anxious dogs, any dog could benefit from this product! All dogs could use some help relaxing at points throughout the day, whether it’s when you’re working from home, trying to clean, or simply needing to relax yourself.
Ruff N’ Ready Speaker Overview
Pricing
This speaker on its own is priced at 69.98, and for the speaker with the Calm Your Canine SD card, it is priced at 89.98. While this may seem like a bit much for a speaker, there really aren’t too many other options from competitors out there!
The Ruff N’ Ready Speaker from iCalmPet is a good price for the quality you receive and I like to see all the research and psychoacoustics research that has gone into it behind the scenes!
Contents
The Ruff N’ Ready Speaker comes in a clean white box. Once you open it up you’ll see the blue speaker sitting at the top. It took me a minute to find the charger since that is buried at the very bottom of the box and might be covered in Styrofoam or be covered by a smaller box section within. You are provided with a small “Getting Started” info packet which will give instructions for how to turn the speaker on, change modes, and change volume. There is also an instruction packet with explanations like why you should play music for dogs, different uses the speaker can have, how to notice behavior changes, how to introduce the music to your dog, and the tracks on the memory card. There is no assembly required; the speaker I received came with the SD card inserted and even with some battery life so I could play it right away.
Specs
In Summary
Key Features
Good Battery Life
This speaker is nice since it comes with a charging cord at the bottom of the box instead of requiring batteries. And it does seem to hold its charge pretty well! I know I hate having to constantly plug in and recharge devices, especially when I think they’re going to be charged and the battery ends up depleting while the device is off. But I’ve used this speaker quite a few times since receiving it and haven’t had to charge it yet! It came with some charge right out of the box!
Portable
While I haven’t taken this speaker in the car or anything, I do love to take it from room to room to play wherever me and my pup end up hanging out. It’s nice and small and once it’s charged, you can just grab it and go! The speaker is about six inches in length.
Bluetooth
Along with having a slot for a Calm Your Canine SD card (or one of the other options), this speaker can also connect to Bluetooth! If you don’t already have a speaker for yourself, it looks like this one can double up for both you and your dog. It also has download and streaming capabilities.
Color
This product comes in a cute blue with the brand name in yellow writing. I think it’s so cool and thoughtful they designed the speaker in these colors since a dog’s eyesight is pretty much the equivalent of a person who has red and green color blindness! That means that our pups won’t see anything that’s red or green, but will still see those blues and yellow tones. I think this is a great and subtle touch showing how in tune with dogs the brand truly is.
Is the iCalmPet Ruff N’ Ready Speaker a Good Value?
I believe the Ruff N’ Ready Speaker was worth it! I was curious what the Calm Your Canine SD card package would come preloaded with as I never knew much about what music would be calming for dogs.
I definitely think that it was worth it to get the songs that come with the Calm Canine Gold Pak. This Calm Canine SD card makes it super easy for me to just turn the speaker on and have calming music at the ready, instead of having to search and find different playlists and test them out.
FAQ
How fast will it arrive?
My speaker came super fast in the mail, just a couple days after being ordered! The website also states that their orders are processed within 24-72 hours and they ship from Monday- Friday.
Does this product have a warranty?
There is no warranty that covers the speaker, but if there is an issue with an iCalmPet product purchased from their brand website, they will replace it as long as it is within the first 60 days of purchase.
Can I return my speaker if I’m not happy with it?
If you aren’t satisfied with the speaker and wish to return it, you can do so within the first 60 days of the speaker being purchased. Once the company has received the like-new speaker in its original packaging, they will refund your money.
How durable is the product?
The iCalmPet speaker feels quite durable in your hand and could probably withstand a few clumsy drops! It is also supposed to be waterproof (although I wouldn’t go testing that just because). If you do have a dog that will chew on anything it can get its paws on, it’s probably best to keep this speaker up and away from them. A focused dog could probably do some good damage to the product.
Our Experience With The Ruff N’ Ready Speaker
I never thought I would be reaching for a speaker for my dog so much, but my experience with the Ruff N’ Ready Speaker has been great. I love the preset, simple soundtrack it comes with, and being able to turn it on to start the morning. My dog, Elo, was already used to my personal speaker that I used from time to time, so I didn’t need to do any sort of introduction of the product to him. I simply grabbed it out of the box and turned it on. When I first turned it on, it didn’t play anything, and I realized it must not be on the correct mode.
A quick flip through the “Getting Started” info packet told me to hold down the mode button for a second. Once I did that, classical music immediately started playing. I haven’t used Bluetooth mode much as I’m not really interested in playing my own music or finding more calming playlists. I am enjoying the preselected classical piano that was picked out specifically for playing to calm canines. And Elo definitely has a hard time settling sometimes as he always wants to be doing something, whether it’s a puzzle, a game of tug, or licking on a Kong.
Since I didn’t think he would immediately be magically calmed by the speaker, I started out using the speaker in moments when I couldn’t pay attention to him and he was forced to settle down. I began by bringing his bed into the kitchen so he could lay down near me and the music while I was cooking. I also used it in the evening when Elo was already settled and snuggled up.
For a few mornings, before I got him up for the day, I turned on the speaker and let it play while giving him all of the scratches and snuggles he could want. I think this type of approach is important for getting your dog to understand the association with the Ruff N’ Ready Speaker!
I definitely think this approach helped to teach him that when the music is playing, we are going to be relaxing and that he should settle down instead of standing in front of me, staring, waiting for our next activity.
As of right now, I try to only play the speaker when it’s a more natural time to settle. If my dog was super hyped up and running around and I turned the music on, would he calm down? I’m not so sure. I don’t think any speaker is a magical, instantly calming dog fix, more of a tool to help them settle and feel more relaxed once they are.
Conclusion
Overall, I’m very pleased with the Ruff N’ Ready Speaker and the results I can already see coming from it! iCalmPet is a well-thought-out brand, focused on bringing peace and calming moments to our pets and their lives. They have done research into psychoacoustic theory and have created, as they say, “simple sound”. The speaker has a great battery life and is perfectly portable! By building the association with the music and attaching it to already calm and relaxed moments, this speaker can be used as an excellent tool to cue your dog that it’s time to settle.